


Evening Conversations

by Hungry_AloeLeaf



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Becoming Friendsies, Crow's not a babey for once, Cute, Firedad and Brambleson, First Meetings, M/M, Verbal Disagreements, Well - Freeform, editing after posting, probably has errors, sad Bramble is NOT ALLOWED, sorry to contaminate things again, what do ya know, you are under arrest for saddening the Scramble
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hungry_AloeLeaf/pseuds/Hungry_AloeLeaf
Summary: Crowpaw is only trying to hunt for his mother when he gets attacked by a mysterious shadow.(yes I reposted/retitled this I was not satisfied with the first title because I'm bad at titling)
Relationships: Brambleclaw/Crowfeather (Warriors), Firestar/Onewhisker (Warriors)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. Should've Washed All the Way

The dark gray paws ground themselves into the dirt. Crowpaw’s wings brushed the ground as he stalked forward, feathery tail lifted partway off the grass.

The rabbit continued the rotate the clover in its paws, little teeth nibbling furiously on the leaves.

His small paws remained silent on the grassy earth as he crept closer… and closer… the creature continued to be blissfully unaware of him by the time he slunk behind the bush.

He’d leap over, pounce, or chase the rabbit down. Sounded like a perfect plan to him, and _Stars_ , Ashfoot would be so proud if he brought this good-sized rabbit back for them to share together. Crowpaw caught the purr rumbling in his chest before the rabbit did, and silenced himself, eyes narrowing. _Alright. Enough thinking, more hunting._

His wings were the perfect thing to levitate him over the bush in one bound, however, they also sent him flying over the rabbit’s head and into the tree past it.

“Ouch!” He managed to glance past the birds circling his throbbing head to see the rabbit tearing off. _Foxdung. It was certainly a chase now._

Crowpaw’s black wings flapped out from his body before he launched into the air, dodging the trees, zipping after the prey’s desperate path to the fields.

The steady beat of the large wings drowned out the frantic pattering of the little white paws. In a heartbeat, the entire world faded away.

It was just him and the rabbit.

He extended two sharp sets of talons on his downwards swoop, the little thing nearly in his clutches when-

Something crashed into him, surrounding him in incredibly hot softness. The small Skypainter gave a screech of terror, opening his beak to clamp it down on his attacker. Much too easily than Crowpaw was comfortable admitting, strong paws slammed him to the ground, knocking his already pulsing skull onto the earth.

Dark and imposing, the figure eclipsed the sun shining over their heads, casting the small tom in a shadow. Within the vanilla-like scent that billowed down on his nostrils, the Windclan apprentice could tell that clearly, the intruder was a tom. An outsider, perhaps a rogue. Probably a hungry one too. Out of the corner of his eye, the rabbit bounded off, surely never to come back. Anger boiled beneath the gray tom’s wind-ruffled pelt when he glanced up at his captor again, glaring hotly into the slits of eyes staring down at him.

“What’s the big idea, you mousebrain?!” The growl that’d been building in his throat burst out in a caw of outrage. “Didn’t you see that I was hunting?”

A wordless rumble emitted the massive-looking, fluffy cat poised over him. A snarl curled Crowpaw’s black beak.

“And what are you doing in my territory?” The apprentice questioned, ears flattening against his skull when the eyes widened. They were amber. Glittering at him in the shadows.

Suddenly, something else glinted at the small tom menacingly. A sharp row of teeth, with two fangs protruding well past the bottom lip.

Realization pierced him concurrently with the fear.

_A Dusty._

A scream gurgled in his chest before he swallowed it back.

_This was it. Wasn’t it?_

Great, the monster would probably eat him whole. Forget bringing her the rabbit, he’d never see Ashfoot or Eaglemist again. Tears welled in his blue eyes.

“How are you going to kill me?” He forced out a sorrowful caw, glancing away from the Dusty above. “Just do it quick.”

The creature leaned down, thick fur pressing into Crowpaw’s thin pelt as the nose snuffled at the gray fur. The figure rose up, fanged mouth opening. Crowpaw squeezed his eyes shut, small body quaking.

“Why would I hurt you?” The voice vibrating against his neck was surprisingly gentle.

Crowpaw felt the breath move away from his face, and he peeked with one eye to see that his attacker had shifted into the sunlight.

The Dusty was sitting on his haunches, tongue playfully lolling out from between the glistening fangs. The young tom was suited with a swirly brown tabby pelt, belly, chest, and paws all a lovely cream color. There was a friendly glow in the marigold eyes that glimmered down on the apprentice now when the Dusty blinked curiously at him, tilting his head to the side – it caused his tufted ears to flop to the left rather endearingly. The emerald green scales of the thick snake tail shimmered in the sunlight pouring down from above, causing Crowpaw to squint until the tabby flicked his tail to the other side.

Crowpaw picked himself up from the ground, defensively narrowing his ocean blue eyes.

“Who are you? What are you doing on Windclan territory, Dusty?!”

“…Dusty?” The amber eyes stretched wide, and the tabby did a little circle, observing himself. “What, do I look that dirty? I did kinda half groom myself today, but I didn’t think it was that noticeable…”

Crowpaw sent the tabby an incredulous glance, jaws speechlessly gaped. He then shook his head, glowering at the larger tom.

“No! You’re a _Dusteater_. You crossed the border.” Another confused look. “You know? The line that we urinate on so foolish cats like you know to _not_ invade our land like this?”

Crowpaw lifted his nose in the air to check where the border was right now – and the realization hit him sickeningly. He was the one outside of the border. He’d gotten so caught up in chasing that darn rabbit that he hadn’t noticed.

 _Well._ Perhaps he was the foolish one now.

“I know pee when I smell it. I don’t smell any… unless…” The tabby lifted up a leg in preparation to sniff it.

“NO NO NO there’s no need for that!” Crowpaw said quickly enough for the tabby to stash his leg away. “Ugh, sorry… guess I got a little lost or something… but that doesn’t explain why you tackled me.”

The tabby bashfully glanced to the side.

“Ah, well… sorry about that. I just got so excited! You look just like my dad!” The rogue gestured towards Crowpaw’s wings. “You have those, and so does he! And he has a beak and feathers too.”

“Your dad’s a Skypainter?”

“Yeah! That’s what you call them!” The Dusty gave a grin, repeating the word again, as if it were something magic. “Skypainters… do you actually paint the sky?”

“Does _your_ father paint the sky?”

“Oh, uh… I guess I see your point.” A chuckle left the tabby nervously. “Sorry for assuming.”

Crowpaw’s irritated gaze softened. Seemingly, the Dusty was innocent. Not to say that he did anything wrong in the first place, but just the bright glitter in his eyes; his excited little twitches… he seemed like he was more of a kitten than Crowpaw’s new nephew, Breezekit.

It was honestly the most adorable – yet strange – thing Crowpaw had ever seen. Typically, Dusties didn’t act like this. Perhaps a Skypainter being the Dusty’s father was part of the reason why he acted differently, although honestly, Crowpaw had never met such a polite Skypainter either.

“I guess I should’ve introduced myself before I jumped on you,” The tabby stuck out a paw, breaking through the thoughts swirling in Crowpaw’s head. “I’m Brambleclaw.”

“A warrior name?” Crowpaw murmured confusedly, despite taking the paw. “I’ve… I’ve never heard your name announced at a Gathering before.”

“I’m supposed to have an announcement?” The Dusty drew his paw away to scratch his head. “And what’s a Gathering? Who’s gathering?”

“Uh… never mind that.” The apprentice squinted at Brambleclaw. “Just… how’d you get your name?”

“Just how anybody else gets their name. My parents gave it to me.”

“ _Huh_. Your name’s been the same since birth, you mean?”

“Of course.” Brambleclaw was shooting him a concerned glance.

“Lucky you… have to wait another half moon to get to my assessment so I can get my name.”

Despite the confusion being clearly readable on his… quite good-looking features, the amber eyes shone down at Crowpaw empathetically as he went on, lips drawing into an entertained smile whenever the small tom became very animated as he explained the naming process, what Gatherings were, the four different Clans and the species that typically resided in them.

Of course, all of the explaining took a while. Then Brambleclaw began to tell him about his own lifestyle – his parents who doted on him endlessly, the way he liked to talk to squirrels (Crowpaw had to bite down a snicker), and more about his parents, specifically, about how much he adored them.

It brought a light in Crowpaw when the tom’s eyes would brighten as he described this.

“So, one of my dads – the one that looks like you – he pretends like he doesn’t like it when I wash his face and he always complains that I don’t know what I’m doing. But…” Brambleclaw leaned closer, as if he were telling a huge secret that the world depended on. “I know that he loves it. Besides, I’m not _that_ bad at washing – here, your fur’s all ruffled anyways.”

Crowpaw let out a shriek when the tom leaned in, forked tongue lapping at his face. The apprentice soon got accustomed to the warm, soppy licks after a few heartbeats, squeezing his eyes shut.

When Brambleclaw finished, his pulled away for a bit, huffing slightly. He then stooped to groom the wet gray fur as it began to dry.

“There you go!” Proudly, the Dusty sat back, creamy chest puffed out. “All done. You look even cuter than you did before.”

_Cute?_

Without warning, Crowpaw’s heart did a double whump.

He was too busy staring owl-eyed at the smiling Brambleclaw sitting in front of him to be too worried about the condition of his heart.

“Um… th-thank you…”

“Aw, don’t worry about it. I could wash you whenever you’d like!” Brambleclaw’s pleased expression darkened suddenly, and he glanced off at the sky, where stars were dotting the lavender atmosphere. “Not like I have any other friends to wash anyways.”

And suddenly, Crowpaw’s heart sunk.

Brambleclaw looked so miserable. Seeing the beautiful face that’d been so bright since they’d met appear so sullen… he couldn’t describe how it made him feel.

Maybe he was sad now too.

“I could be your friend,” Crowpaw, who hadn’t been too compatible with most of the cats in his Clan anyways, murmured softly to Brambleclaw. “We could be friends if that’s what you want.”

The amber gaze swung to him followed by a gasp of surprise from Brambleclaw.

“Seriously? You’d do that?”

“Only for you.” Crowpaw gave a good-natured snort, bumping the huge tabby with an elbow. “I literally don’t get along with anyone else but my mom and brother anyways.”

“Oh _wowee!_ The only other friend I’ve had is Squirrelflight!” Brambleclaw stooped to whisper a “secret” to him again. “She’s a squirrel. She visits me every day, but she can’t really talk to me…”

Crowpaw giggled when the tabby began to bounce around in exhilarated circles.

“Thank you so much.” The earnest mew came near the end of the bouncing, when Brambleclaw leaned down to view Crowpaw again. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“I have some idea,” Crowpaw’s gaze dropped to spot Brambleclaw’s snake tail, which was still twitching in excitement. He then glanced up at the sky. “OH… oh no.”

_When… when had it gotten so dark? So late?_

“What’s wrong?”

“Brambleclaw, I… I have to get home!” The apprentice frantically scrambled to his delicate paws, a whine leaving his beak. “Foxdung, Mudclaw and my mom are going to tear my wings off! I’m out so late, and I haven’t caught anything!”

“Oh… I was holding you up, wasn’t I?” Brambleclaw slouched guiltily. He then straightened. “Don’t worry. I could probably try to catch something for you to take home.”

Before Crowpaw could attempt to stop him, the tabby rushed off.

Moments and moments passed. The moon rose. The sun sank beneath the distant outline of trees. The stars twinkled out in their full glory. Crowpaw’s paws fidgeted with themselves anxiously.

He leaped up when Brambleclaw burst through a cluster of bushes with… no…

“Is that that same rabbit?”

“I don’t know.” Brambleclaw’s voice was muffled by the prey until he bounded over and gently set it next to Crowpaw’s wiggling paws. “It’s just a rabbit for you to take home.”

“I…” Crowpaw swallowed. Was this right? For another cat to give a bound-to-be warrior prey? “I don’t know if I should, honestly…”

“Hey, look.” Brambleclaw’s huge paw slid over the Skypainter’s talons. “We’re friends. And from what I’ve been told about things like friends, they do favors for each other. This is a favor. I think that you should take it.”

Crowpaw’s heart did that strange thing again, and now his ears and cheeks burned red.

“Please.” Brambleclaw added. “I don’t want to sound rude or anything, but… I worked hard to get this for you. I don’t want you to get in trouble. I know what it’s like to get in trouble with someone.”

A smirk crossed Crowpaw’s beak when the tabby shuddered.

“Alright.” He picked up the rabbit and stood. “Thank you, Brambleclaw.”

“You’re welcome.” That handsome smile flashed at Crowpaw, and he swore that his ribcage struggled to contain all of the whacking inside of it. The tabby turned away. “It’s getting late for me too… I know that my dads are going to rip my tail in _half_ for this.”

“Something else we have in common, huh?” Crowpaw questioned in a bout of laughter.

Brambleclaw seemed taken aback for a few heartbeats before he grinned back.

“Yeah… well… when will I see you again…?”

“Crowpaw. I may have a different name by the next time we see each other, but as far as I know, I’m the only Skypainter with a ‘Crow’ in their name.”

“ _Crowpaw_.” Brambleclaw echoed, eyes wide with wonder, lips uttering the word as if it were the most enchanted thing he’d ever said. “It suits you. And I guess I’ll see you later one day.”

“Same to you.” The gray tom forced himself to stretch out and nuzzle Brambleclaw’s muscular shoulder. “Travel safely.”

“I will!” The tabby nuzzled Crowpaw’s slim shoulder in return before scurrying off. “Love you!”

The Windclan tom had been about to turn, but his talons were poised over the grass then, frozen when he gave a whisper.

“What?”

Brambleclaw stopped to glance back at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I-I mean… y-y-you just…” Crowpaw’s eyes darted to anywhere except Brambleclaw’s face. “The… ‘l-love’ part…”

“Oh. Just something me and my parents say whenever we can’t see each other for more than five heartbeats…” The ears tilted ever-so-adorably when the tabby cocked his head again. “You mean you don’t say it where you come from?”

“I…” Crowpaw gulped, ignoring the way his entire body was heating up. “Never mind. Just have a nice night.”

Brambleclaw’s puzzlement lifted when the Skypainter launched into the night time clouds, wings slicing through the mist. Soon enough, Crowpaw was gone, leaving Brambleclaw by himself in the clearing.

The tabby’s shoulders raised and lowered to shrug off his confusion. He then squealed.

“Ooo, they’re going to want to hear about this! I made a friend!” The Dusty trembled in eagerness before haring off towards the distant trees. “I actually did it, and it wasn’t a squirrel!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crow: get out of here with your dusty self
> 
> Bramble: *thinking* maybe i should've listened to dad when he said i should wash off everyday-


	2. well... that was weird.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brambleclaw goes home all excited because he got a brand new friendsie
> 
> His parents aren't too happy, tho-

Brambleclaw’s scaly tail swished the leaf litter as he entered the sheltered entrance, claws raking on the stone. He shook off the last of the grass clinging to his fluffy pelt, jaws parting in a loud yawn.

He didn’t even have time to close his mouth before an orange blur zipped from the back of the cave and bowled him over.

“Hey, Dad,” The tabby giggled when a tongue anxiously lapped at his face. “Stop, that tickles!”

“My claws going ‘tickle’ your tail is what’s going to happen.” A new voice broke the loving series of licks when a Skypainter tugged the ginger tom off of Brambleclaw, glaring down at the tabby with his beak curled in rage. “Where _were_ you, Brambleclaw?”

“We were worried sick about you!” An attempt was made by Fireheart to embrace Brambleclaw again, only for a wing to flap between them. “It’s dark, and you weren’t back… I was about to come looking!”

“Explain _right now_.” Onewhisker slammed a set of talons beside his son’s head, amber eyes swimming with worry despite the furious way they were narrowed.

Brambleclaw leapt to his feet, fangs digging into his chin in his effort to contain a gleeful squeal.

“ _Ooo_ , you guys won’t believe this! Guess what I saw today?”

“A spanking?” The small tabby raised a paw, which received a smack from Fireheart. “Ow…”

“I saw you! Or, someone who looked like you…” Brambleclaw sat on the stone, large paws working the ground in excitement. “He was so little and cute, and he had wings and feathers and a beak just like Daddy! A Skypainter! And he said he’d be friends with me!”

Both cats recoiled, much to Brambleclaw’s bewilderment. Neither looked happy or proud like he’d anticipated, and neither said anything for several long, long heartbeats.

His snake tail began to twitch nervously.

“W-what’s wrong?”

His parents exchanged glances, something dark in their gazes, before both turned away from him.

“Bramble, wash yourself then go to sleep. Never go out there again.”

Fireheart’s stony mew sent chills down Brambleclaw’s fluffy spine. The tabby frantically glanced down at his paws, mind racing.

If he couldn’t go back… then he wouldn’t see Crowfeather again. They were friends. Friends didn’t just _not_ see each other! The best thing to do here was protest to save one of his first friendships ever.

“B-but… I…” Brambleclaw swallowed back any apprehension. “We… we’re friends. His name is Crowfeather! He’s really nice, and he was hunting for his mom, and he loves his mom just as much as I love you guys! I have to go back to visit at leas-”

“Your father said no, Brambleclaw!” Onewhisker whirled to glare the larger cat down. “You are not allowed to travel out there; do you understand me?!”

“But why not? He’ll be wondering how I am, and I can’t tell him-”

“So, you think that someone you met in one day is suddenly your friend and is going to be more concerned about your wellbeing than we are?” A vicious snarl from the smaller tabby cut Brambleclaw’s plea short. “We’re not raising you to be daft.”

“Onewhisker,” Fireheart murmured with somewhat of a warning tone. “Don’t call him daft.”

“Well, he’s acting that way!”

The ginger tom fell silent again, glancing away from his mate, tail curling to his flank. Onewhisker’s glare raked Brambleclaw again.

“You can’t trust someone you met in one day who wants to be your friend.”

“But he was nice to me after I tackled him!”

“Tackled him?!” His father’s beak gaped disbelievingly before he lowered himself to the ground. “You could’ve started a war right then!”

“A war?” Brambleclaw incredulously replied, a brow raising. “That seems a little extreme.”

“Don’t talk back to me!” The huge snake-cat fell silent for a heartbeat after that. “You do as we say. We know what’s best for you, you don’t.”

“And how do you know?! At least you have each other, and I have no one but squirrels to talk to!”

“You have us! Or is everything we went through for you not enough for you?” Onewhisker’s large ears flicked back in blazing hot fury. “You can live the rest of your life without friends deceiving you!”

Brambleclaw’s gaze dragged between the two warily.

 _This was strange. Way too strange._ They shouldn’t have gotten _this_ mad at him coming home late. Maybe he shouldn’t push it further. Maybe he could let them cool off more before talking with them again.

Maybe he shouldn’t go back to see Crowfeather.

Sorrow pricked his heart at the thought. Even in just one conversation, a complete stranger had managed to make him feel like everything. He had to get how delightful and well-intentioned the small tom had seemed out of his head. He had to push out the image of how disappointed Crowfeather would be if he never saw him again.

His throat tingled and his vision blurred.

He wanted a new friend. He wanted someone to talk to. He wanted someone else to snuggle with for once, someone else to shower with a lake full of affection, someone else to retell stories to and sing with. He dearly wanted to see Crowfeather again, but why couldn’t they simply understand that?

He took a step back, body swaying with an overwhelming wretchedness.

_No. No. He couldn’t get this upset over this._

Fireheart had turned around, he was saying something now, but Brambleclaw’s rotating ears couldn’t decipher the rapid words.

Maybe they were really mad at him now. Maybe he should just leave and come back. He couldn’t let them see that he was actually distraught over a friendship they seemed to care nothing about.

Maybe that would make them even madder.

He skittered backwards a few tail lengths before turning tail and sprinting out of the cave. Yells sounded behind him, injecting fear in his pounding pawsteps.

His paws eventually led him to the vast lake, stretching over near the base of the far mountains. Collapsing beside the stretch of water, the tabby groaned, dipping the wiry tuft of his tail into the water.

“It’s so not fair.” He grumbled to the reflection of the dark sky, glaring down at the twinkling stars above and before him. “Like they’ve never had friends before.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm guessing that this happens after or maybe in??... Cave Depths  
> once again I got impatient  
> i skipped into the future


	3. cried myself to sleep, but i'm alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bramble not really cool with his dads' weirdness
> 
> .

“Where are you going, Scramble?”

The tabby tensed. Fireheart sounded calmer – at least calmer than he did last night, almost normal.

He really was going to act like none of that weird behavior had happened.

After returning home that midnight, everything was quiet. His parents didn’t address him when he came in, they were all curled up together in their nest but he knew they weren’t truly asleep (Fireheart’s lack of snoring had been a sizable clue). He’d fallen asleep, pondering about what to do.

 _He really wanted to see Crowpaw again._ He decided after an entire night of thought.

Although they had just met last night, Crowpaw was plenty of things: Firstly, nice to him after he’d gotten over the whole tackling thing. Secondly, he wasn’t a squirrel. No offense to Squirrelflight at all, but they could hardly understand each other, and Crowpaw could actually speak cat. And finally, maybe the most unexplainable thing, the tabby found himself taking such a liking to the tom.

The stories he told of his Clan-thingies were captivating. The naming process… borders… his family…

He kind of wanted to see Breezekit, one day. He wanted to watch the gray tom get his warrior name, one day.

He’d be lying to himself dead in the face if he said that he didn’t want to be friends with the most interesting and amazing cat he’d ever met in his sheltered life. Best friends. One day.

So, when Brambleclaw glanced back at Fireheart, it did pain him to lie.

“Just… out with Squilfy. She said she found this big pile of nuts somewhere, I was going – uh, t-to help her carry them to her tree. I think. It’s hard to tell what she says sometimes.” _Grass-splits!_ His father could probably see right through him.

But Fireheart only leaned forward, lapping quickly at his son’s ruffled fur.

“Go on, then. No running, no going near the lake, no climbing or jumping off trees.” Brambleclaw resisted the urge to groan at the familiar rules. “And no talking to strangers.”

“I never do those things anyways, Dad…”

Fireheart’s expression warmed, and he brushed his nose to Brambleclaw’s briefly.

“Stay safe. Come back if you need something.”

“I will, I will…” _I just really need you to leave me alone right now._

He was only a pawstep away from the cave’s exit, paw poised over the patch of sunshine warming the stone when the ginger tom’s voice stopped him again.

“I love you.”

“ _If you loved me_ -” Brambleclaw bites back the irritated whisper before glancing back with a shaky grin. “Love you too! Bye!”

He pads from the cave’s mouth at a leisurely pace, tail swishing the leaves, shoulders hunched in an attempt to contain his excitement. Unless his parents found out, it couldn’t hurt to check where had seen Crowpaw last.

The forest terrain around is sweetly singing. The leaves rustle in tune with the breeze. The birds and river-dwelling bugs are chirping their own notes as his large paws sleepily crunch through the leaves.

He's humming his own excited tune, trotting to his destination without delay. At least until a dark blur flashes in front of him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man dark blur, our boi be walkin' over here
> 
> Also yes I'm planning on continuing/maaaayyyyybeeeee finishing this  
> I say that about so many things, but  
> hopefully this goes well


End file.
